Valve spring retainer lock



Dec. 29, 1936. CQLWELL I 2,065,794

VALVE SPRING RETAINER LOCK Filed 001?. 8, 1934 Patented Dec 1936 PATENT OFFICE 2,065,794 VALVE SPRING RETAINER LOCK Archie T. Colwell, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Thompson Products Incorporated, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application October 8, 1934, Serial No. 747,318

4 Claims. (01. 251-144) The present invention relates to valve spring retainer looks or valve stem collars as used on poppet valve in internal combustion engines, and more particularly to collars made of rolled and 5 die formed or stamped material.

In the commercial manufacture of valve stem collars on a production basis, the item of maintenance and repair and .replacement of die equipment for forming such collars is considerable,

thus adding to the cost of manufacture of the collars. In order to enable the employment of valve stem collars in internal combustion engines of low price, it is necessary that the cost of manufacture of the collars be reduced as low as possible.

In the co-pending application of Daniel Kell'eher, Serial No. 739,557, filed August 13, 1934 there is disclosed a method of manufacturing valve stem collars having two beads in the stem engaging surfaces thereof, to enter two axially spaced grooves in the stems of the valves. Experience has demonstrated that too great die wear is encountered in the manufacture of the two piece collars therein described, which wear is especially noticeable along the edges of the dies whereat the upper beads are subjected to die pressure.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a valve stem collar which may be manufactured'at low cost and in connection with the manufacture of which the die cost is kept at a minimum.

Another object of this invention is to provide a valve stem collar with a single bead in the face thereof for engaging a single groove in the valve stem to lock the spring retainer in place on the stern.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel valve stem collars capable of manufacture in quantity lots at low cost and which are easy to apply in position on valve stems.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a single 'bead valve stem collar which may be manufactured in quantity lots with less die wear than the double bead collars.

The above, other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, accompanying drawing, and the appended claims.

An embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in,the accompanying drawing, andthe views thereof are as follows:

On the drawing:

Figure I is a fragmental side elevational view of a. conventional poppet valve and stem with a valve spring retained in position thereon by means of valve stem collars of the present invention.

Figure II is a bottom plan view of the valve stem collar illustrated in Figure III. 5 Figure III is an elevational view of one of the two mating collar elements utilized for completely surrounding a valve stem to constitute the lock for the spring retaining plate.

Figure IV is an enlarged fragmental view show- 10 ing the relationship, when assembled, of the valve stem collar ribs and the stem groove.

The drawing will now be explained.

The valve structure illustrated in Figure I comprises a head I and a generally cylindrical stem 2. Near the lower end of the stem 2 an annular groove 3 is formed in the cylindrical portion of the stem. There is but a Single one of these grooves per stem.

Surrounding thelower end ofthe stem 2 is 20 a collar C, made of two similar parts or halves A and B which together constitute a split lock or looking bush substantially surrounding the stem adjacent the groove 3. In assembled position, the longitudinal edges of said parts A and 25 B are slightly spaced apart. One of the halves or elements A, is illustrated in Figure III and as there illustrated has an internal bead 4 disposed substantially mid-height of the collar member, with the balance. of the inner surface of the collar member cylindrical on both sides of the bead to conform closely to the contour of the surface of the stem 2 adjacent the groove 3. The outer surface of the element is inclined, or conical shaped, as at 5 to co-operate with an inclined, or conical shaped, opening 6 in the spring retainer 1.

The spring retainer 1 is provided, outwardly of the central inclined portion 6, with a rib 8 which receives the adjacent end of the valve spring 9 4 to center the spring on the retainer and thus maintain it in position in service.

There are two of the collar members, A and B, utilized to support one spring retainer 1 in position on a valve stem. The collars are made in two parts for ease and convenience in assembly and dis-assembly. I

The formation of the single internal bead 4 at substantially mid-height of the collar elements A or B, is effective to retain the two elements 50 in position as illustrated in Figure I, and to assure satisfactory clamping or wedging action in vertical direction. There is a further advantage resulting from such construction and that is that it requires but a single groove in the valve stem to secure the lock in position, thus a better fit results, ease of assembly is facilitated, and there is practically no chance for inaccuracy arising from such construction. The single head will always fit perfectly in the stem groove, which is not always the case with the double bead type of collar.

The valve stem collars of the present invention may be manufactured from rolled stock by a die forming or stamping operation, in accordance with the method disclosed in Kellehers co-pending application above mentioned, the method therein disclosed being modified to provide single bead collars instead of the double bead collars of the same.

It has been found that the manufacture of the single bead collar of the present invention reduces the wear on the dies to a considerable extent. This is because of the fact that when forming the double bead collars, one of these beads, as may be observed in the aforementioned co-pending application, is supported on the die block at the edge so that the edge of the die block wears to a greater extent than any other part of the die, thus requiring constant repair and replacement.

The die that is required to turn out the collars of the present invention lasts much longer than those utilized for the double bead collars.

The depth of the bead 4 (Fig. IV) is made .002" to .004" less than the depth of the groove 3, of the stem, to assure surface engagement of the collars with the stem and prevent such contact between. the bead and the groove as to cause tilting of the lock or collar on the stem, as would occur if the bead contacted the bottom of the groove. Both the bead 4 and the groove 3 present, in cross section, rounded contours of conforming curvature but slightly spaced apart.

The angle between the inner and outer faces of the collars may be between 12 and 20. Thisangle is shown as intermediate these limits, as 14, giving an 8 to 1 taper which provides a wedging action that assures an exceptionally fine clamping pressure on the stem.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and. I, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

The invention is claimed as follows 1. A valve comprising a head and a stem having a recessed peripheral portion and being of uniform cross-sectional size between said portion and said head, in combination with a valtespring abutment plate disposed about said stem and formed with an internal downwardly flaring open-ended cone, and a plurality of rigid members disposed about said stem and together constituting a composite split locking bush having an external downwardly flaring conical face corresponding in form to the internal form of the cone of said plate and being formed with an axial central opening to clamp upon the external face of said stem between said portion and said head, each said member having an inwardly presented lug of less radial length than the depth of the cooperating recess in said recessed portion to fit therein and engage the wall thereof to locate the respective members axially of said stem, said members engaging the opposed external face portions of said stem between said recessed portion and said head and being forced inward by said plate to rigidly clamp about said stem, said members being'of such size and shape that as applied about said stem their adjacent edges will be spaced from each other.

2. A valve comprising a head and a stem having a recessed peripheral portion and being of uniform cross-sectional size between said portion and said head, in combination with a. valve-spring abutment plate disposed about said stem, and a plurality of rigid members disposed about said stem and together constituting a composite split locking bush, said plate and said bush having cooperating surfaces acting to force the bush members radially inwardly when the plate is forced against the bush, each said member having an inwardly presented lug of less radial length than the radial depth of the cooperating recess in said recessed portion to fit therein and engage the wall thereof to locate the respective members axially of said stem, said members in a given transverse plane perpendicular to the axis of said stem engaging the opposed external face portions of said stem between said recessed portion and said head and beingsimultaneously externally engaged in said plane by said plate and forced inward thereby to rigidly clamp about said stem, said members being of such size and shape that as applied about said stem their adjacent edges will be spaced from each other. l

3. In a valve assembly including a valve having a cylindrical stem portion provided with a single annular groove, and a valve-spring abutment plate disposed about said stem portion and formed with a conical shaped bore, a. collar formed of a plurality of parts disposed about said stern portion with their longitudinal edges slightly spaced apart and together constituting a split lock for said retainer plate, said split lock having a conical face conforming to and in engagement with the surface of said conical shaped bore and having an inner cylindrical face conforming to and in engagement with said cylindrical stem portion, each of said collar parts having a single bead adapted to extend into said stem groove but of less depth than the depth of said groove-to prevent rocking of said collar on said stem.

4. In a valve assembly including a valve having a cylindrical stem portion provided with a gagement with the surface of said conical shaped bore and having an inner cylindrical face con' forming to and in engagement with said cylindrical stem portion, the angle between said outer conical and said inner cylindrical surface being between 12 and 20, each of said collar parts having a single bead extending into said stem groove but of less depth than the depth of said 7 groove to prevent rocking of said collar on said stem.

ARCHIE T. COLWELL. 

